Many thanks to Alan Harris for the picture taken from an old post card which you see below. It begs a question?

The question is 'Was gravity shunting ever resorted to at St Ives.? It would look as if having brought its train into St Ives and unloded the passengers the stock was pushed back up the grade, the loco uncoupled and run into one arm of the loop and then, as it would appear, the stock gravitated back into the platform. This happened at Helston when the run round loop was blocked. From a postcard, the property of Alan Harris

St Ives 1904, no doubt about the date - posted in Pendeen and found its way back to Cornwall. It is guessed that the postcard cost Alan a pound.

The answer - a most interesting reply from Laurence HansfordI was born in St Ives in 1944 and lived on Draycott Terrace (half of which you can see in in the top Right corner of the gravity shunting photo). We lived on the bit out of the photo. As far back as I can remember, I was very interested in the railway and everything that went on and was lucky enough to have a grandstand view of the whole Station and Engine Shed from where I lived.I can confirm that gravity shunting was extensively resorted to in the days when the line was steam operated and even, occasionally, after the D63XX diesels took over. The trucks could be either side of the engine but I don’t recall coaching stock being dealt with this way. The gradient into the Station was such that trucks could pick up a fair lick and would have the shunter running alongside to apply the brake.

The most obvious use was for getting empty coal trucks and the odd truck-full of ash and cinders out of the Engine Shed siding, to be replaced with a full truck of coal. Many and various routines were used seemingly down to the combined ingenuity of the footplate crew, guard, signalman and shunter-porter, and what had to be done and how much space was available where. There would be much tooting of whistles and rushing about, at which the 45XXs were particularly adept. I did sometimes wonder if the Rule Book was being followed to the letter! I will leave you to work out how this could be accomplished but bear in mind that the station was extremely cramped, especially in the summer months when extra coaches were usually lying about as well as covered wagons of advance luggage.

Regrettably my parents moved away from St Ives in 1964 but by then the signalling had been removed and with it any excitement.